Detection of aortic tear in the acute trauma patient using MRI

Traumatic aortic tears are life threatening and, therefore, need to be evaluated urgently. Typically, a thoracic aortogram is conducted; however, aortography occasionally demonstrates nonspecific abnormalities. These equivocal examinations can lead to unnecessary thoracotomies, or repeated angiography and catastrophic delays in aortic repair. We report a case in which magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was very useful in the diagnosis of aortic tear.